Why train in three levels rather than with one programme?
Because the Codex Alimentarius asks for training matched to each person's tasks, not identical training for everyone. One programme for all is too theoretical for operators and too shallow for the HACCP team.
The Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene (CXC 1-1969), which also contain the HACCP method, devote a full section to training and competence. Three ideas stand out: every person must know their role and responsibility in protecting food; training must take into account the nature of the food, how it is handled, the processes and the storage conditions; and its effectiveness must be assessed periodically, with refresher training. For hazard analysis, the Codex also asks for a multidisciplinary team with the necessary knowledge and expertise.
GFSI-recognised standards such as BRCGS Food Safety Issue 9, IFS Food Version 8 and FSSC 22000 Version 7 follow the same logic and add a burden of proof: the site must show that each person is competent for their role. ISO 22000:2018 states it in its competence requirement, common to all management system standards.
Hence ACG's three-level grid. It is not an official classification: it is our way of organising Codex and standard requirements by group of staff, so that every course answers a real need of a role. For buyers and group quality managers who audit Moroccan and African suppliers, it is also a quick way to check whether a supplier's training records make sense.
What does a Level 1 operator need to know?
An operator must apply good hygiene practice, understand why it exists and know how to react to a deviation. They do not build the hazard analysis; they apply its conclusions on the line.
Level 1 covers:
- personal hygiene, workwear, handwashing and zone access rules;
- biological, chemical, physical and allergen contamination, illustrated with examples from the site;
- cleaning and disinfection of their workstation;
- the control points on their line: what is monitored, by whom, and what to do when a value is outside the limit;
- recording: filling in a legible, dated and signed record;
- raising the alarm: who to tell about an incident, broken glass, a pest or a suspect product.
This level is delivered on site, close to the lines, in the team's working language. In a cannery in Agadir or a packhouse in the Souss region, that is often Arabic or Darija; in other African markets it may be French, English, Portuguese or a local language. Materials rely on images and demonstration more than text, and tests are adapted to the audience's reading level. Seasonal workers are trained before the season starts, not during it.
What must Level 2 supervisors master?
A team leader or line manager must enforce the rules, check records and decide on corrections. They are the link between the HACCP team and the operators.
Level 2 adds to Level 1:
- the logic of the HACCP plan: hazards retained, CCPs, operational PRPs and the PRPs of their area;
- checking monitoring records and spotting anomalies;
- corrections and corrective actions: isolating product, informing, documenting;
- running a short food safety briefing at the start of the shift;
- welcoming and training new starters at the workstation;
- contributing to food safety culture, which GFSI standards now ask sites to measure.
On that last point, our article on measuring and evidencing food safety culture shows what supervisors have to keep alive day to day.
What competences do the Level 3 HACCP team and auditors need?
The HACCP team must be able to run the full Codex method: describe products, build and verify the flow diagram, analyse hazards, determine CCPs, set and justify critical limits, then validate and verify the plan. Internal auditors must also be able to assess it.
Level 3 covers the 5 preliminary steps and 7 principles of the Codex, validation of control measures, change management, plan review and the specific requirements of the target standard. For internal auditors it adds audit technique: preparation, sampling, interviews, findings and follow-up of actions. Our HACCP plan guide, with a full cannery example, shows the level expected.
The table summarises ACG's competence grid by role.
Competence | Operator (L1) | Team leader (L2) | HACCP team (L3) | Internal auditor (L3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Good hygiene practice and workwear | Apply | Enforce | Define | Assess |
Hazards and contamination | Recognise | Explain | Analyse | Check the analysis |
Monitoring of CCPs and OPRPs | Measure and record | Check records | Set limits and frequency | Assess effectiveness |
Reacting to a deviation | Alert and isolate | Correct and document | Define corrective actions | Check implementation |
Allergens and traceability | Apply workstation rules | Control product changeovers | Design the controls | Test traceability |
Plan validation and verification | — | Report gaps | Lead | Audit |
Standard requirements (BRCGS, IFS, FSSC 22000) | What matters for the role | Requirements for the area | Full requirements | Full requirements and audit technique |
How do you choose the format, language and pace?
The format follows the audience: on site and in small groups for operators; classroom or online for part of the content for supervisors and the HACCP team, with exercises on the site's own documents. The length of each programme is set after the training needs analysis.
Three principles guide our choices:
- Working language first. An operator session in French in front of Arabic-speaking teams produces certificates, not competence. We train in Arabic, Darija, French or English depending on the audience.
- The site as teaching material. Examples, photos and exercises come from your lines and your records, not from a generic case.
- Proof of effectiveness. A knowledge test, an on-the-job observation a few weeks later, then a planned refresher: that is what the auditor looks for behind the certificate.
Before ordering HACCP training, check the following:
How can HACCP training be funded in Morocco?
By entering it in the training plan before delivery. Under the reference rule, it then qualifies for the 70% rate for planned training delivered by an external provider, within a cap set by the company's declared vocational training tax.
In-house training delivered by your own trainers falls under a flat reference rule of MAD 800 per day. A course launched outside the plan falls, if eligible, under the 40% rate. These rules are being confirmed with the OFPPT, and no amount is guaranteed before the file is reviewed. Our OFPPT CSF 2026-2027 guide explains the procedure, deadlines and the evidence to keep: attendance sheets, tests, evaluations, numbered certificates and a training report.